Road safety campaign targets drivers across the district’s highways

File photo dated 24/08/03 of a driver using his seatbelt. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Friday August 31, 2008. Hunchbacks, dwarves and even "irrational objections" from the elderly helped delay the introduction of compulsory seatbelts by more than 10 years, secret documents reveal today. See PA story RECORDS Belt. Photo credit should read: Haydn West/PA Wire

Published:12:00Wednesday 11 December 2013

A road safety campaign focusing on the roads around Lancaster, Morecambe and Fleetwood, resulted in 818 road users being stopped during October and November.

Operation Bramble ran from Tuesday, October 1 to Saturday, November 30, with the aim of reducing the number of casualties, particularly among vulnerable road users.

This was done via a combination of educating road users and increased enforcement efforts on a number of target roads in the area.

The operation started well with an encouraging 37% reduction in the number of collisions resulting in injury on the ten target roads during October.

However, the number of people who passed away or who were seriously injured on the ten target roads unfortunately rose year-on-year in October.

This, along with the number of road users that had to be spoken to, particularly those driving without wearing a seatbelt or while using a mobile phone, has meant it has been decided to extend the operation for another month until the end of November, with the Road Policing Units continuing to focus on the area’s ten target roads.

These problems were quickly handled, as by the end of November, the number of road users who passed away or who were seriously injured on the area’s roads overall fell by 10% compared to the same period in 2012. Additionally, the number of motorists who had to be spoken to in November for not wearing a seatbelt fell by nearly 66%, and the number who had to be spoken to for using a mobile phone while operating a vehicle fell by 60%.

Sgt Nigel Ralphson of Lancaster Police’s Road Policing Unit, said; “While I will want us to do better, so we can make Lancashire’s roads even safer, I am pleased with the overall results we have achieved over the last two months.

“I would again reiterate my strong encouragement to the region’s motorists, particularly motorcyclists, to take advantage of the variety of courses offered by Lancashire County Council.

“Many of them are free, and will do a great deal to help you be safer on our roads.”